Digital-schooling versus In-person-schooling

Elementary children heading into a school buildingThere is a debate going on across the country about digital-schooling versus in-person schooling. We have come to an impasse when it comes to America’s children. The President of the United States wants children of all ages, from grades kindergarten to twelfth, to return to the classroom. Parents across the country are split on the decision to send their children back to physical school building. Many would like to see their children return to in-person instructions, while others insist that at home, digital learning is the best option. It is a hard decision for parents and teachers to make when the virus continues to wreak havoc across the country. Even beachgoers knew not to go back in the water with a great white shark lurking in the shadows. Yet, we have a difficult decision to make.

Here is where we weigh digital-schooling versus in-person schooling.

Advantages of Digital versus In-person

  • Social distancing from the general public
  • The school day can start any time before noon
  • Student can repeat lessons several times to make sure the concept is understood before completing an assignment
  • Students can review lessons leisure
  • The educational process can takes less time each day
  • One-on-One interaction with the teacher through video or text on the system

Disadvantages of Digital versus In-person

  • No interaction with others
  • Students have to wait for the teacher to respond to their questions
  • Students lack of focus because there is no an instructor to keep the students on task
  • Student getting frustration when they don’t understand a lesson concept
  • Lack of enthusiasm to learn

We all want the best for our kids. I’ll have to admit I was feeling a bit inadequate to conduct digital-schooling for my grandchildren. Sure, I’m an educated woman with a Bachelor’s degree under my belt, but it’s not in Early or Elementary Education. I want them to go back to the classroom, but after seeing how explosive the spread of Coronavirus is in these early days, I’ll keep my grandbabies at home and do the best that I can. The government says that studies show that children can bounce back from having the virus, but what happens when they don’t.

As children across the country begin to return to school, the coronavirus continues to strike. Students are getting sick, and the in-person population is diminishing at the onset of the fall semester. The President insists children return to the classroom with idle threats of withholding school funding. Parents agree that they cannot be effective in the education of their children.  It looks like we are being thrust into herd immunity. The biggest concern is how many more people will be loss young and old before we get there.